


consideration rarer than gold

by zenelly



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Enstars Shipping Olympics, M/M, eso round 2, happy early birthday tsumugi enstars i love you, tsumugi has a Good Day and is very confused by it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 08:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19989370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenelly/pseuds/zenelly
Summary: As is the tradition for Tsumugi’s birthday, he begins it alone.Written for the ESO Prompt Round!





	consideration rarer than gold

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the prompt asking for people to just be nice to Tsumugi for a day since his birthday was coming up. This is hugely self-indulgent because (guess what) i love tsumugi aoba and since it is his birthday soon, this is just a birthday fic. Let him have friends and know that he's loved, damn it. it's what he deserves.

As is the tradition for Tsumugi’s birthday, he begins it alone.

The house is quiet when he wakes up, blue-grey light leaking in through his curtains, quiet in a way that means his mother is either not home or still asleep. Taking care to not wake her up, Tsumugi readies himself for school. It is an inauspicious day, Tsumugi reasons as he fixes himself some breakfast, a small bowl of soup and rice. Even his fortune is tellingly neutral. A day, like any other. Nothing remarkable.

Tsumugi looks out the window, and sighs, and is the first (and probably only) person to wish himself a happy birthday.

* * *

Anytime one of the Oddballs in his class (or Leo, who Tsumugi classifies as an Oddball in the privacy of his own mind) is on day duty, Tsumugi resigns himself to showing up early to do their chores. It’s easier than expecting anything from them, caught up in their respective crafts as they are. It’s also… penance, of a sort. To take care of these things for them, to make the remaining time they have at this school as easy as he can to make up for the still-present wound of last year.

So Tsumugi is understandably startled when he gets to his class and everyone is there. Even Leo, grumbling and composing at his desk on actual paper instead of the floor. The board is ready, the desks are set out, every single chore has been taken care of.

(Surreptitiously, he checks the schedule. Yes, it still says that Rei is on day duty. That doesn’t explain how everything got done.)

“Tsumugi-kun, stop hovering at the door and come in!”

“A-ah, yes, of course. Sorry,” and he isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially today of all days. This is like a little gift. A gift no one else knew they were giving, making sure that Tsumugi had less work to do today, and even if they didn’t _mean_ it, Tsumugi still feels a bit of warmth curl up in his chest as he sits at his desk beside Rei. “I’m surprised you came in for day duty, Rei-kun. You’re usually still asleep this time of day.”

Rei smiles, a fang dimpling the lower curve of his lip. “Well now, Tsumugi-kun, you do know how to make an old man’s efforts feel appreciated, don’t you? Besides, today is… special.”

Tsumugi wants to ask, but the teacher walks in, and he forgets in favor of paying attention.

He does not notice the evaluating, anticipatory looks of the rest of his class.

* * *

The day only gets stranger when Mika, of all people, pops his head into the classroom and invites Tsumugi to lunch with him and his friend. Shu is right in the next classroom, after all, so shouldn’t-

Tsumugi doesn’t get much further than that before Mika grabs him by the shirt and pulls him along, insistent that he meet “Naru-chan”.

Naru-chan, who happens to be Arashi-chan, who Tsumugi hasn’t had much reason to talk to, but who is offering to take the both of them to a crepe place during their lunch break as long as they’re quick about it.

It’s been forever since Tsumugi hasn’t paid for his own food on his birthday. That’s why he agrees, he tells himself. That’s the only reason. Selfish, surely, but they don’t have to know that.

Tsumugi is a little off-kilter, a little unsure of how to behave around a stranger, which Arashi-chan both is, and isn’t. Tsumugi knows her by reputation and Mika’s anecdotes more than anything else. It’s good to see them together though, laughing and fond and placing hands on knees, on cheeks, as they share inside jokes. Before Tsumugi can feel left out, though, they’re both turning to include him, letting him in and-

It’s.

It’s nice.

“Ah-, Tsumu-chan-senpai, hang on right here, okay?” Mika asks when they get back to their classroom. Arashi darts inside with a wave and a wink that has Tsumugi’s face flush, and he’s distracted enough by that to almost drop the bundle Mika presses into his hands.

“Before I forget, here ya go!”

It’s… a coat. A deep, beautiful blue wool, the lining brighter with stars and lightning bolts interspersed throughout, like a surprise only Tsumugi gets to know about. It is immaculately made. There is no way Mika could afford something like this. Did he… make it? But this looks like…

Tsumugi blinks, first startled, then confused. “Ah. Mika-kun? May I ask what this is?”

“It’s a present! From Oshi-san, but he didn’t wanna give it to you himself on account of that’s just how he is. If ya don’t like it, you don’t gotta wear it or nothin’ but I think Oshi-san would be pretty upset if you didn’t and he said this fit your style so I figured-“

“Shu-kun did?” There’s something very strange about the idea of Shu making something for him, but he isn’t about to turn down a surprise like this from the best craftsman in the school. He shakes his head, then smiles. “Thank you, Mika-kun. It’s very thoughtful of you. To bring this to me.”

That, finaly, seems to be the right response. Mika lights up, mismatched eyes sparkling. “Nn! Well! Oshi-san insisted! I can’t stay for very long, but I’ll see ya later, Tsumu-chan-senpai!”

“ _How odd_ ,” Tsumugi thinks, clutching the gift closer to himself. They don’t have club today. Why would they … Well. Mika was fairly scatterbrained about these sorts of things. He was probably just mistaken.

* * *

(The coat, when Tsumugi unrolls it, is beautiful. It fits perfectly too, and when the months turn cold, Tsumugi will be more than grateful for this, finally able to give up his brother’s ragged hand-me-down. Shu didn’t have to. Shu probably doesn’t even know it’s his birthday.

Tsumugi comes back to class with reddened eyes, and no one says a thing.)

* * *

After class, Tsumugi retreats to the relative peace of his library. Everyone has been acting so oddly today that he just longs for the simplicity and peace of his books and the smell of leather and paper, the distant tang of Natsume’s chemicals seeping through. Not for the first time, he’s grateful beyond all belief that the library is usually deserted. He can relax, not have to be turned “on” and smiling, anticipating and mitigating all consequences that he sees. There is only him and his sorting, and books do not have the same rigors as people.

Putting things to rights slows his racing, uncertain heart. Why is everyone being so nice to him today? Even Natsume has only been dismissive instead of outright mean, even when Tsumugi gave him openings to release his frustration. It’s… confusing. There’s no reason for anyone to be nice to him.

(Sure, it is his birthday. But no one else usually remembers that, so that can’t be it.

Can it?)

As he carefully slides books over to place the next one in its spot, he is greeted by a voice.

“Senpai!”

“Sora-kun! Hello, what brings you here?”

Sora spins on his heel, grinning bright and wide up at Tsumugi. “Sora is on a mission! Sora must bring Senpai to the gathering spot!”

“Gathering spot?” Tsumugi finishes putting the book back in its place before fulling turning to Sora. “What on earth are you talking about? I didn’t think we were meeting for Switch today.”

“Haha~, we aren’t! Sora is on a secret mission, and Senpai must come along.” Sora grasps his wrist and tugs. Tsumugi looks around the library, but. No. No one else is here. And Tsumugi knows what’s waiting for him at home. An aching, never-ending silence and the vague hope for a distant phone call from his father and older brother that will last all of six words (“Happy birthday, Tsumugi.” “Thank you.” “Goodbye.”) so. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if he just. Gave in.

He smiles indulgently, ruffles Sora’s hair. “Alright then. Where am I coming along too?”

Sora immediately grins and takes off, dragging a stumbling Tsumugi along behind him as they make their way through the school, out of the gates, and down a few side streets before Sora stops as abruptly as he began. Tugs on Tsumugi’s wrist insistently

“Close your eyes, Senpai!”

“This isn’t really necessary,” Tsumugi says, and Sora shakes his head, pulling on Tsumugi’s wrist a little harder.

“What’s unnecessary? Senpai should just close his eyes already. Trust Sora to know the way~!”

And what can Tsumugi do except smile? Smile and give in, letting Sora drag him along. A few missteps have Tsumugi squinting enough to just see the pavement in front of his feet. A right, a left. Straight, over Sora’s chipper humming and skipping, Tsumugi being pulled around at an uneven jog.

A door opens. Sora tugs Tsumugi inside.

“Where are…” Tsumugi’s mouth opens. Closes. His eyes sting. He won’t cry. He won’t.

It’s just that.

This is a karaoke bar.

This is karaoke, and Sora has waved to the lady running the counter and pulled him past her with a grin, beelining for one of the rooms. Alright. So it’s karaoke, which Tsumugi has never been to but always wanted to. It’ll probably just be him and Sora and maybe Natsume or one of Sora’s first year friends and-

"Happy birthday, Tsumugi-kun!" "-Aoba-kun!" "-pai!"

And the room is full.

“I don’t…” he starts. Stops. Looks around the room a little helplessly, trying to figure out why everyone was there. All of his classmates, Shu and Mika both, Koga, Hajime, Chiaki, even Tori is perched on the side of one of the couches, and they’re all watching him, smiling and this has to be a joke, doesn’t it?

“Oba-chan! Gimme candy!” Leo shouts, but he quiets immediately when Nazuna slaps his arm, pouting and put out. “Fine! I’ll give _you_ candy but only for today. Be grateful!”

“I am, Leo-kun,” Tsumugi says on reflex, then blinks. His glasses are getting harder and harder to see through. Damn things. Damn his prescription for never quite being what it needs to be. “I’m just. Why are you all here?”

“Well, it would be bad form to have a birthday party without the main event, Tsumugi-kun.”

That voice.

There, pale and visibly uncomfortable at the far end of the room, is Eichi. He and Natsume are studiously not looking at each other, sitting on opposite ends of the room, but his entrance got their attention. Gold and blue alike pin im in place and Tsumugi barely hears Hajime’s excited, gentle babbling or any of Sora’s equally enthusiastic responses. His throat tightens and he can’t. He can’t see. He can’t do anything but breathe, only he’s hiccupping his way through that too because he doesn’t _understand_. Everyone is being so _nice_ and he doesn’t deserve it and-

“Senpai, stop Crying. We’re not bullying You,” Natsume orders, and even he’s being gentler than normal, less caustic, like he doesn’t understand the gravity of what’s happening here. Half of ex-fine in a room with the rest of the oddballs, friends scattered between them. Going to karaoke like normal high schoolers.

Everything Tsumugi wanted.

“You didn’t have to do this,” he says into his palms, dizzy with tears.

Natsume gently pries his hands away from his face with a click of his tongue. He pauses, then threads their fingers together. “No, we Didn’t. But we did Anyway, so take it or leave it but either Way, stop Complaining, Senpai.”

Quietly, under the tumultuous noise, he murmurs, “Happy birthday, Tsumugi-niisan. Please enjoy yourself here, among friends.”

And Tsumugi nods, swipes at his cheeks one more time with his hands still joined to Natsume's. "I'll. I can do that. I'll try."

(As is not the tradition with Tsumugi's birthday, he ends it surrounded by friends.)


End file.
